Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 110: She tapped out a quick call. "I need someone to do me a favor."

"Huh? What's going on?" a startled voice interjected through the phone.

"You've got one hour. Meet the person bidding against me at Starlight Bar. I need to know who they are and what they want."

The person practically gasped. "Boss, you cannot be serious! You know I'm horrible at face-to-face stuff. I might just drop dead from the stress!" That was about the response Maia expected, though she had secretly hoped for less drama.

She could not take the risk of showing up herself, not when she had no idea who was on the other side. It could easily be a setup. Plus, if she involved anyone more recognizable, it would stir up trouble she didn't need.

After running through her limited options, she knew this person was her safest bet.

"Here's the deal - if you help me this one time, I'll take care of half your workload," said Maia. She flashed a quick smile and added, "And I won't charge you a thing."

The line buzzed with hesitation before the voice answered, half thrilled and half terrified, "Wait… are you serious?"

"If you let this chance slip away, you won't get a second one," Maia said, a sly glint in her eyes. "It's only a single meeting. You don't need to be nervous - I'll stay close. I'll coach you through everything from a distance. All you need to do is stick to what I tell you."

Silence stretched on the line, heavy and reluctant, until the voice finally said,

"Alright, alright! I'll do it!"

After hanging up, Maia shut down her computer. She waited a while, then checked the time. When it was almost time to leave, she got dressed and headed out.

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Only when it was close to the scheduled time did she throw on a jacket and head for the door. As soon as she turned the knob, the door across the hall creaked open.

Chris, stepping into the hallway, caught her completely off guard. She had assumed he was out since she hadn't seen any signs of him earlier. From the look on his face, he was just as taken aback. Still on a call with Maxwell moments ago, he clearly hadn't realized Maia had been home.

"You're here."

"You're here."

They spoke at the same time, and the air between them grew awkward.

With a small chuckle, Chris broke the tension. He straightened his sleeves with an easy grace, his eyes unreadable but not unkind. "Heading out?"

"Yeah, meeting someone," Maia said casually, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "You?"

"My boss needs a ride," Chris replied smoothly, not missing a beat.

They exchanged a knowing glance, neither feeling the need to press for more. They walked out of the apartment side by side but split off in different directions once they reached the building's front door.

Outside Starlight Bar, Maia had barely arrived when her phone screen flickered black once again. Within seconds, a new message popped up, revealing the designated seat number for tonight's meeting.

Without hesitation, she slipped inside and picked a quiet seat where she could watch the whole place without drawing attention.

After forwarding the location to her contact, Maia slipped on her headphones and sank into the plush sofa, tugging her baseball cap lower to better conceal her delicate face.

At this early hour, Starlight Bar was still waking up. The dim, erratic lights gave the place an eerie, unsettled feeling.

Glancing at her watch, Maia noted there were still five minutes left until the arranged time.

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